NATION : Pay Up, Jury Tells Drunken Gambler

CAMDEN, N.J. — A jury ruled today against a high-roller who claimed an Atlantic City casino plied him with alcohol and painkillers, forcing him to gamble until he lost $165,000.

A federal jury deliberated for about three hours Thursday and today before finding that Shmuel Aboud, 44, of New York City must pay a $28,000 gambling debt he amassed in 1985 at the Golden Nugget Casino-Hotel.

Aboud had contended he suffered from narcotic and alcohol intoxication and the casino took advantage of his condition. The jury ruled that the Golden Nugget acted negligently, but that the casino's action did not cause Aboud's gambling losses.

"This tells the patron that they can't get drunk and blame someone else," Golden Nugget attorney Steven Horn said after the verdict. "We think that this claim was totally frivolous--a lie--and the jury believed it."